PRESS BRIEFING BY SECURITY COUNCIL PRESIDENT

 

The focus of the Security Council for third month would continue to be on Africa, the Middle East and Iraq, Wang Guangya (China), Council President for the month of April, said at a Headquarters press briefing this afternoon.

Briefing correspondents on the Council’s work programme for this month, he said it had scheduled six public meetings or open briefings respectively on Côte d’Ivoire, Iraq, the Middle East, the work of three of its committees, a mission to Haiti and the United Nations Mission for the Referendum in Western Sahara (MINURSO).  The Council would also discuss Bougainville, Lebanon, Central Africa, Iraq/Kuwait and the Middle East.  In addition, it would arrange meetings on Sudan, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, ad interim judges of the International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, Burundi, Georgia and children and armed conflict, as the situation required.

The Council’s mission to Haiti, scheduled for the second week of April, would be headed by Ronaldo Mota Sardenberg, Permanent Representative of Brazil, he said.  After its return, the Council would hold an open meeting on that mission, scheduled for 20 April.  Few meetings had been scheduled for this week since many permanent representatives would be involved in informal consultations of the General Assembly to discuss the Secretary-General’s report.

Asked whether the five permanent members had reached any agreement on Security Council reform, as well as to comment on Japan’s likely candidacy for permanent membership, he said that as far as China was concerned, reform of the United Nations should be comprehensive and balanced, taking into account the interests of all sides.  Regarding the second part of the question, members had different views and serious discussions and consultations among them were important.  The best way to achieve a good result was to work for consensus.  While the permanent five were conducting a bilateral exchange of views among themselves, they had not met as a group to discuss Council expansion.

Urged to give more details on the work programme, he said that on 11 April, Ashraf Jehangir Qazi, the Secretary-General’s Special Representative for Iraq, would brief Council members on that country and the regular briefing by the multinational forces in Iraq would be held on the same day.  On 19 April, Yuli Vorontsov, the Secretary-General’s High-Level Coordinator on Iraq, would brief the Council on the situation between Iraq and Kuwait and on 21 April, Kieran Prendergast, Under-Secretary-General for Political Affairs, would deliver his regular briefing on the Middle East.  In addition, the Council would discuss resolution 1559 (2004) on 27 April, and on 28 April a draft resolution would be tabled on the extension of the MINURSO mandate.

Asked whether his country had gone along with last week’s resolution imposing sanctions on Sudan because proposed measures against that country’s oil sector had been dropped, he said China was always opposed to the use of sanctions as a means of exerting pressure and had had difficulties with that draft.  But because there had been consensus to work for the Comprehensive Peace Agreement signed in January, while exerting some pressure, China had made its position known and had refrained from blocking the adoption of the text.  The question of oil sanctions was difficult for China and other sanctions measures contained in the text were not helpful in bringing about peace.

The same journalist pointed out that the Council always discussed questions relating to the developing world and asked whether the big Powers did not have their own issues to discuss.  He replied that the big Powers enjoyed generally constructive working relations and thus had other ways of consulting among themselves.

Asked by another correspondent about the Chinese Government’s official position on Japan’s candidacy for permanent Council, he said the Government was in favour of Security Council reform, as well as the Council’s expansion, but it’s main objective was to increase the number of members from the developing world because there was an imbalance, as far as the organ’s composition was concerned.

With regard to the current discussions about different candidates, the Chinese Government had not made up its mind, he said.  However, the Chinese people and other Asians had their own views.  A full discussion by United Nations Member States was required in order to reach consensus, the absence of which would mean a divided membership to the detriment of the Organization’s work.

Another journalist asked whether Council members had agreed on an international investigation into the assassination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri.

The President said that the Secretary-General and the Lebanese Government had agreed with that idea.  Consultations were going on at expert level and this morning the Permanent Representative of France had briefed members about the status of ambassadorial consultations.  There was a broad basis to believe that agreement would be reached this week, although there were some differences which were mainly a question of nuance.  However, there was a broad agreement that a committee should be set up to assist the Lebanese Government, but not to replace it.

Asked for his assessment of how the Secretary-General had emerged from the Volcker report, and whether it had weakened him, the President said the Secretary-General had done a good job and the report had cleared him of any wrongdoing.  All United Nations Member States should work with and support him.

What was the purpose of the mission to Haiti? another correspondent asked.

The President recalled that it had been a year since the Council had established the United Nations Stabilization Mission in Haiti (MINUSTAH).  Upon the initiative of Latin American members, particularly Brazil and Argentina, the Council felt it was high time it sent a mission to assess the situation on the ground, the peace process and the political, economic and social issues.  The mission would also comprise members of the Economic and Social Council.

Asked whether he would support two Security Council seats for sub-Saharan Africa, he said Africa was a very important continent and it should play a more important role in the work of the United Nations, including the Security Council.

To a question about whether sanctions would cause Sudan’s current situation to deteriorate, he said that generally in international relations, not only in Sudan’s case, such measures were not helpful to the achievement of peace and stability.  For Sudan, sanctions should be weighed very carefully, otherwise they would not be good, either for the political situation, or helpful to the peace agreement achieved through the Naivasha process.

Regarding events in Iraq, he told another journalist that a return to Iraqi rule as soon as possible was desirable.  Hopefully, Iraq would achieve a smooth political process.

On the question of what the Council understood as Lebanese sovereignty, he said it must be recognized that Lebanon was a sovereign State and any international investigation must be conducted in consultation with, and with the cooperation of, the Lebanese Government.

Asked whether the Security Council would be holding consultations on the Secretary-General’s report in parallel with the General Assembly, he said it was up to the Assembly, and the Council had no role.

How much say would China have in electing the next Secretary-General? another journalist asked.  The President replied that every MemberState, whether a big Power or a small State, had an equal say in choosing the Secretary-General.

He said, in reply to another correspondent, that many believed the next Secretary-General should come from Asia and many Asian countries had conducted consultations on the selection of the next candidates.  Since Asia was a large region that played a very important role in the United Nations, it was to be hoped that it would reach consensus on the candidates that it might recommend.

Asked whether he opposed Peter Fitzgerald’s recommendation for an independent investigation with executive authority, on the grounds no credible investigation of the Hariri assassination could be conducted under the current Lebanese security authorities, he reiterated that an investigation would not be easy without cooperation from the Lebanese Government on all levels.  Many other Council members held the same belief.

In reply to a question about the two formulas for Security Council expansion recommended by the Secretary-General’s High-Level Panel, he said Member States should be flexible enough to work out a consensus that combined the merits of both formulas.  As for what Japan could do to win China’s support, he said his country’s position was open and it had not announced its firm support for, or objection to, any particular candidate countries.  Consensus should be reached through patient consultations by all Member States, including all the regional groups.

Asked whether the demand for consensus did not rule out any expansion of the Council, given the opposition to almost every country, the President said broad agreement was still possible, provided there was no imposition of a timetable.

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